Parents of Teens: Beware of The Open Party & The Marcel Piezas Incident

It’s been more than 5 years since my girls left high school. It was a nightmare for us every time L would ask permission to go “clubbing” with her high school classmates. We feared that they would be offered ecstasy or some dangerous drugs. No matter how responsible we believe our teenager are, once they are in the company of peers, one can never tell what may happen. Especially in parties with flowing booze, raging hormones and minimal adult supervision. Thank God, Lauren never succumbed to dangerous drugs. M was not interested in parties then so we didn’t experience these fears with her.

Gone are the days when fun, wholesome teen parties are held at homes. My strict loving dad didn’t allow us to go to class parties unless it was held at our home. My classmates readily agreed because it meant that their parents will allow them, knowing how strict my dad is. Maybe teens still hold occasional parties in their homes but it is not hip or “in”.

Have you heard of an “Open Party”? I have never heard of it until now through Chuavness. An open party is organized by a class from a private school and invitations are posted online. It’s a money-making gimmick, for sure. Anyone can attend, provided one pays a fee. So different from our fun disco parties of the seventies. If 800 people attend and spend 300 each, do your computation. Where the heck does the money go anyway?

I would like all parents particularly in Metro Manila to be aware about this “Open Party”. Let me quote Chuvaness:

Like Chuvaness, I feel for the boy that got beaten up in an Open Party. You should all read this mom’s heartbreaking letter so your teens will be safe or warned about these Open Parties.

Letter from The Mom of Marcel Piezas

February 9, 2009

Dear Ateneo parents, students and STOYA members,

Three months back, I found out that an “OPEN PARTY” organized by students of the Assumption was booked at our village clubhouse. In this event, the venue meant for 300 pax was packed with as many as 800, due to the zealousness of its organizers to maximize their earnings. Many of the attendees had no recourse but to spill over to the parking area.

That night, a nasty brawl occurred right outside the venue, and the security incident report outlined the destruction caused to the clubhouse facilities, the sight of inebriated teenagers holding bottles of liquor roaming the streets, and the discovery of used condoms on the park grounds and alleys the following day. (You can verify this yourself.)

We were on an out of town trip when all these happened and I could only imagine the chaos that went on.

Last January 16, 2009 my son Marcel Piezas, a 2nd year Ateneo student, pleaded with me to allow him to attend an “OPEN PARTY” organized by 3rd year Poveda High School students at Greenmeadows. I warned him about the untoward incidents in our village but due to his persistent pleas, reassurances, acceptance of certain conditions (e.g. curfew) coupled with guilt trips of being labeled an outcast once denied of participation, I succumbed to his appeal.

That night at around half past eleven, I found myself praying for Marcel’s protection, possibly owing to vague intuition, not knowing what was going just a stone’s throw away.

At around 11:30 p.m., after having danced with around three other girls, Marcel asked for a dance with Ms. A (name withheld). The dance was uneventful except for the part where she asked Marcel if she could take a picture of them, which my son agreed to.

Immediately after the dance, Marcel thanked her, and excused himself since his 12 midnight curfew was fast approaching. He and his classmate B (name withheld) proceeded to exit the dance hall to meet four other classmates who were already at the parking area.

Three meters from the exit, two teen-aged boys came out of the hall together with Ms. A, the girl Marcel just danced with, blaringly asking, “Sino ang nangbastos sa pinsan ko? Kayo ba? Kayo ba?”
It seems that, Ms. A pointed out my son to the two boys, wilfully or otherwise, prompting them to pull his shoulder and start punching him on the head, which caused a laceration and multiple hematomas.
The two boys shouted invectives at Marcel (e.g. “Sabihin mo sa nanay mo, malansa ang kaniyang puk_”, “pu__ ina mo, gusto mo mamatay?” etc.) and repeatedly slapped him.

After a while, the group of three had swelled to five. They were joined by other boys (names withheld). A few seconds more, and the crowd had expanded to around twenty, arm in arm, they formed a circle around Marcel. They continued to punch, slap, insult and spit at my defenceless boy. One of them even ordered him to kneel down and apologize, which he did, even if he knew he was not guilty of anything, if only to stop the beating. After his apology, he was punched hard on the mouth, causing a cut on the lower lip, and three front teeth to turn mobile.

There were big bodied bouncers hired during the party, and some village guards manning the gates. Neither of them lifted a finger to help my son. All they uttered was “Tama na yan.” The lone defender of Marcel was a school mate, Boy B (name withheld).

At the expense of enduring a few blows himself, he pleaded with the boys and tried to convince them that they have the wrong guy, and that Marcel was a good boy, incapable of the accusation they were throwing at him.

The mauling miraculously stopped for around 15 seconds (probably around the same time I was praying for him) which gave another brave classmate the chance to grab then bloody Marcel by the arm and pull him out of the circle of tormentors. They ran for it and left in a car with their other classmates who were too stunned and traumatized themselves.

Minutes after escaping the assailants, Marcel continued receiving phone calls through his mobile phone,
wherein he was harassed and taunted. The calls and text have persisted until a week ago.

After our preliminary investigation, we discovered that the aggressors are members of TGF or “The Good Fraternity”, a loose group of high school students (boys and a few girls) who frequent the party scene, SOME of whom are reputed to be bullies, war freaks, alcoholics, possibly drug users, and carriers of deadly weapons such as guns, knives, tasers, etc.

Apparently, some of them use this strategy of bullying helpless-looking boys in the guise of being gallant men saving a damsel in distress for having been “disrespected”.

The exact same scenario by the same people happened to a fellow Atenean at a different party a few weeks earlier. Many other boys from other schools have experienced beating from the same group for the most senseless reason as having been ogled at or having flexed biceps and triceps to the annoyance of the bullies.

What happened to Marcel was a nightmare not only to him but to ourselves as parents. My husband who is working in Canada can only cry in helplessness at not having been around to defend or at the very least comfort him.

I cannot sleep soundly knowing that our sons and daughters are prone to being swallowed by profligacy. Did you parents know that kids nowadays dance “spooning” style? Did you know that there are mobile bars for rent that serve “mocktails” or full-fledged cocktails and beer in bubble containers to our young teen-agers unmindful of the alcohol prohibition for minors (ask Sober Club, Elation, Party Fuel, Club Fishbone, Booze, Event Shaker, On the Rocks, etc.).. I even heard that open parties are now being used by pushers as their market for mood altering wares.I didn’t even know that the Greenmeadows party that Marcel attended was entitled “Lust”, which is one of a series of seven parties named after the seven deadly sins. I was shocked at having found out the organizers’ preference for their party names.

I have vowed to make this an advocacy. We are filing a complaint with the authorities about the matter, not only to seek justice for my son, but to stop this culture of violence and immorality among the youth.
I would have wanted to treat this as privately and as quietly as I can but recent developments have forced me to do otherwise. I came across this blog site which made my stomach turn at seeing how insensitive, frivolous, and unprincipled the authors of this entry and its supporters are.
Log on and read for yourselves.(EDIT: Blog is currently locked but you can download here)

Rumors are spreading like wildfire and the ugly misinformation is causing yet another trauma on my son. Some stories are going around about his being too drunk to have had control of himself, thus the
molestation. To correct the defamation being spread, and to give these STOYA boys who have a lot of growing up to do a piece of my mind, allow me categorically say that:

1) My son NEVER molested anyone and we can prove this to the hilt. The bloggers didn’t even give him the benefit of the doubt by adding the world “allegedly”. They wrote it as if it were a fact.
Instead of supporting your fellow Atenean, you are pushing him towards the furnace by spreading this lie.

2) My son, who, for one week after the assault, endured nightmares and anxiety attacks over possible retaliatory acts by perceived sympathetic blue blooded members of TGF NEVER squealed on any one to the APSA. He bore his psychological injuries which far outweighed the physical wounds with dignity and bravery. He never even brought up the incident with his football coach who benched him during two crucial games for having missed a week’s practice clueless that Marcel was waiting for the contusions on his head to heal. For all I know, he was also possibly avoiding aggressive tussling, inevitable in the sport, which might stir fearsome memories. He felt so down but didn’t want his coach to think he was making excuses for his absences.

3) I never complained verbally, or in writing, to APSA regarding what happened to my son knowing that STOYA per se, is not the enemy. I simply wrote a letter of excuse for Marcel’s two-day absence while he was recovering from the trauma.

4) I never accused STOYA of harassment when they approached Marcel in an effort to convince me to tell Mr. Dennis Dator of their innocence regarding the mauling. I simply felt that it is futile to make that appointment since I never filed a complaint against them in the first place.

5) To say that “it can only take ONE person to destroy a party. All he/she needs to do is to tell his/her parents to call up the school, name names and say drugs or what not has been going around” reeks of a distorted sense of values. It’s as if parties are the end all and be all of life’s existence. Never mind if a person gets hurt… the show must go on! Besides, I never did what they accuse me of doing.

6) Do you honestly think that this line “The police can always be ordered to go to a party to end it” is preventive or is it a curative solution to a done disaster which only takes a few minutes to happen? Hunky bouncers and security guards were around when Marcel was beaten up. What good did they do?

7) From STOYA: “Pucha, everyday people DIE due to far more worse (sic) incidents than mere fist fights and now people start making this such a HUGE deal since it happened to someone close to them?”Response: What if the blow on Marcel’s head were a tad stronger than they were causing irreversible brain damage? Would that be big deal enough to warrant your attention?

8.) From STOYA: “don’t call us insensitive and immoral for promoting alcohol under the age of 18. You’ve never had a shot of vodka or a cold glass of beer? Don’t be a hypocrite and lie. It’s part of high school”Response: The law is the law and it was created for a reason, and it is meant to be adhered to, otherwise suffer penalties.

9) “Also, It’s the parents’ choice to allow their children to go and do these things so if you have a problem with parties, don’t allow your children”Response: Parents unwittingly allow their children to attend these parties without the knowledge of the imminent dangers that abound in such parties, thus, my cause of letting it be known. No matter how well we try to raise our children, they sometimes make the wrong, stubborn choices and succumb to peer pressure thinking that what is prevalent is “cool”, or is acceptable.

10) STOYA, your entrepreneurial spirit is partly admirable. “Dreams of creating seven parties in 10 months”.
However, if your ventures are money making, may I ask if you give out receipts to your patrons? Do you pay taxes to the BIR? Maybe this is another angle worth looking at.

Dear STOYA boys and supporters, I hope you broaden your minds a little bit more and see where concerned school authorities and parents are coming from. You, our dear boys are gifts from God entrusted to us for guidance and moulding. Our commitment to our Maker, and to the Giver of life is to lead you back to Him in life eternity. It’s true that life is full of risks, that life is well lived if freedom abounds, and that it is important to stand by what we believe in. But as graduating students of a highly reputable Catholic school for which your parents toil hard to make your enrollment possible, I would have hoped that you had loftier beliefs that you would adamantly fight for. Year in, year out, you learn in CLE that free will has its limitations. As minors your care rests on those who are supposedly more ripe in wisdom. If we can shield you from as much pain, suffering and harm as we can, we will do so by all means because that is an expression of LOVE. You may sulk all you want but take it like a man. Like you all said, you will be adults in a few months time anyway. Start acting like one!

Yours truly,

MRS. CELINE PIEZAS

—–

I am so appalled about what happened to Marcel. What is happening to our young people today? As parents, I believe it’s our responsibility to protect our children from unsafe party venues. Be empowered and know what happens inside the party so safety measures can be suggested to party organizers. Parties involving high school teens need to have adult supervision from at least one responsible parent. One cannot be too lenient.

You may contact Noemi (noemidado @ gmail.com) for speaking and consultancy services in the following areas: Parenting in the Digital Age (includes pro-active parenting on cyber-bullying and bullying) ; Social Business ; Reinventing One’s Life; and social media engagement.
Our parenting workshop is called "Prep to Prime (P2P): Parenting in the Digital Age (An Un­Workshop)"
P2P Un­Workshops are conducted by two golden women in their prime, Noemi and Jane, who have a century’s worth of experience between them. They are both accomplished professionals who chose to become homemakers. This 180­degree turn also put them on a different life course which includes blogging, social media engagement and citizen advocacy. They call their un­workshops Prep to Prime or P2P, for short, to emphasize the breadth of their parenting experience.
They tackle different aspects and issues of parenting ­­ from managing pregnancies, prepping for the school years of children, dealing with househelp, managing the household budget, to maximizing one’s prime life and staying healthy through the senior years.

About Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

You may contact Noemi (noemidado @ gmail.com) for speaking and consultancy services in the following areas: Parenting in the Digital Age (includes pro-active parenting on cyber-bullying and bullying) ; Social Business ; Reinventing One’s Life; and social media engagement.
Our parenting workshop is called "Prep to Prime (P2P): Parenting in the Digital Age (An Un­Workshop)"
P2P Un­Workshops are conducted by two golden women in their prime, Noemi and Jane, who have a century’s worth of experience between them. They are both accomplished professionals who chose to become homemakers. This 180­degree turn also put them on a different life course which includes blogging, social media engagement and citizen advocacy. They call their un­workshops Prep to Prime or P2P, for short, to emphasize the breadth of their parenting experience.
They tackle different aspects and issues of parenting ­­ from managing pregnancies, prepping for the school years of children, dealing with househelp, managing the household budget, to maximizing one’s prime life and staying healthy through the senior years.

put a tight leash on them and they go rebel on you… loosen it up and they wonder to their doom… It’s a good thing i am not yet a parent but am afraid for what my future sons and daughters will grow out with in the near future.

Hope it is not too late for parents to open up to their sons and daughters because they can only control or help their children is when they grow in an environment where they can actually speak their minds off and not always be scolded. A parent should also be a friend nang sa gayon ay lumaki ang mga bata ng responsable, (di man sakdal pero) masunurin sa magulang at alam ang limitasyon nila.

Inspite of our fears, we allowed our teen daughter to these parties. We had told her the consequences of taking drugs, not finishing high school etc. We were strict in a way because we set a curfew and ground rules of acceptable behavior. Things worked out in the end. And my girls today are glad that we set those boundaries.

While alcohol and open parties do set the stage for teenage drama, I don’t think that they’re entirely to blame. Kids are stupid and do stupid things like beat an innocent guy up, and there doesn’t even have to be alcohol for that to happen. Also, teenagers will still find ways to access alcohol, drugs, and sex even if parents put a stop to these parties or have a chaperone follow their kids around.

I understand that the world is a big scary place and that parents just want the best for their children, but parents can’t protect their children from all the dangers out there. We all have to grow up and learn to fight our own battles at some point.

What I’m trying to say is that I really think I should move out in two years. 😛

re Open Parties, am talking of teens not adult children. You are way past that and turned out quite well. Thank God!

thegreatest

Lauren may have a point.

There’s only so much sheltering we can do for our kids. I’ve witnessed them at their worst, but I’ve also seen them at their best. There comes a point when you have to let them learn their own life lessons, and allow your good parenting to do what it is supposed to do and help them make their best judgment of situations. Believe it or not, they are actually really in touch with what is out there that might confront them, since they’re more exposed to it than we are, who are only vaguely aware of what’s going on from the papers and these internet chain mails.

I realize that the youth sometimes feel invulnerable and prone to flights of fancy, but there’s a reason why they think that way and do what they do. There comes a time when they will have to pass on the same wisdom to their children, and there are things better relayed because of experience, and not because they were only told by their own parents.

Lauren, you turned out just fine, and I’m sure good parenting and your own personal travails helped shaped that.

As for me, well, my parents are all sorts of awesome but I also speak from experience.

Not High school kids, Chris. As parents, we need to know that their parties are safe, fun and wholesome. Then we can let them go. Read through the links and see why this is a concern of parents in the Philippines

I could not believe what I was reading in that link you provided. I must admit I am not a “saint” and I may be guilty of doing all the things listed when I wasnt legally of age to do so but I never for once thought what I was doing was right or that it should be tolerated because that is how the world works. These open parties are fine but if things happen and there are consequences then those consequences must be accepted and people have to take responsibility. I realize these are kids that are involved here so I too implore to the parents of these children and to the adult organizers and participants of these parties to be the ones to take responsibility.

it’s not that we don’t want our kids to enjoy. As parents, we also need to know if their party venue is safe. and the rest we leave up to the parents. I am appalled at the audacity of these kids to be so flippant about parental concern over safety .

Having read all the posts and comments, I can say that it still boils down to being matured. Any mature person will think more than twice before doing something, esp. high schools students. In this regard, I still believe that parents should be more responsible in dealing with them. High school kids tend to be more aggressive, as they are very eager to enjoy their freedom.

I have a 12-year old daughter, and maybe a couple of years from now she will start attending parties. But this early, I am telling her all the pros and cons in attending parties. Yes, I have attended some when I was in high school and the experiences I had is what I am teaching to her.

No, it’s not bad to hold and attend parties as long as all concerned are responsible enough. Moreover, it is still better that parties like this will be assisted by parents or matured individuals.

Hope this incident will solved peacefully, and will not happen again. There are a lot of big problems to attend to, and we must not add anymore.

The post from “Stoya” just showed how shallow their thinking is. they have no idea what they are talking about and they would never realise the negative effect of what they are doing unless it happens to them (whether they get mugged, sexually harassed among others). Here in Australia, alcohol fueled incidences (violence, unwanted sex, physical abuse, verbal abuse, etc.) are, unfortunately, almost a daily fact but there are still more decent people that there is widespread acknowledgment that these exist.

While we were pretty while back in the day “noong kabataan namin nina laur”…thank god we weren’t THAT dumb. I mean, high sc hool kids to have an amazing tendency to be dumb…but certain things…you just have to have some common sense.

I just can’t believe this. I’ve moved out, gotten married…all that grown up jazz. And it never crossed my mind that I missed wild parties in high school.

Coming from someone who was considered “too wild” for a science high school…

The sense of entitlement of the party organizers is frightening. In my day, it was made very clear by the parents of any house where we held parties, that if anything on the scale of violence and sex happened, everyone would be held accountable. These people sound as though they have a right to their fun, because “kids will be kids”. It’s like the “men will be men” mentality – and call me a Victorian prude, but I hold people to higher standards than that, especially if they’re supposed to be of the hijos de buena familia category.

And that’s what seems to be missing from that STOYA post. A sense of accountability. Stage an event, and you should be held accountable for what happens next – and an open party, by the sound of it, isn’t so much a private party as a paying event. Heck, if concert organizers have to shell out compensation for people injured during concerts…so should these teenagers have to make amends for damages to both people and property.

It almost makes me glad I don’t have teeners of my own. But I do have a much loved goddaughter who seems to have missed such wildness and is now too buried in masteral studies to have time for parties (for the moment).

Concerned TwentySomething

OPEN PARTIES as BUSINESS VENTURES

My high school cousin explained the idea of open parties. They initially fund the costs and then earn back their money through the ticket sales. The money goes back to them.

The money they spend comes from their savings, which I suppose, come from the weekly/daily allowances given to them by their parents.

I guess I can’t say that’s really bad, since the venture benefits them financially. The idea of them having alcohol, sex and drugs in a party is not new, and I’m still pretty young (I’ve just graduated from college), so I understand their need to conform through the consumption of vices and rebellion against laws. It’s not a good thing, but that’s how some teenagers have fun. I myself wasn’t really like that, but I understand them. The event isn’t as wholesome as bake sale fundraisers for poor communities around their school to many of us, and is meaningless to many of us, but for them, at their age, it carries much meaning, somewhat like a celebration of their youth and freedom, and therefore a great way of spending their savings.

To have the kids audit their expenses for parents to see where their kids are spending them and/or advicing them to not participate in such business ventures is something really nice and ideal, but might make them think that their parents are suspicious and therefore ignite more rebellion from them. What I think parents should instill in their children are precautions and an acceptable code of behavior, like what you had written as a response to one of the comments here. That’s how my parents are to me until now, they allow me to do what I want, provided that I keep myself safe and my behavior intact. Such parameters are even more important when handling events. Chaperones? I’m not sure, but having them could work, provided that they look over and act discreetly. I’ve been to a recent COLLEGE event, and surprisingly, there were three.

RESPONSIBILITY and RESPECT

This is not just for the high school students, but everyone organizing events. Organizers must take responsibility for incidents happening in their event. They should communicate with the parties involved as well as their immediate relatives and/or legal representatives (if such incidents require lawyers) in a very professional and respectable manner. Though I partly commend STOYA for being entrepreneurial at a very young age, and successful (STOYA started having open parties a couple of years back), the members acted irresponsibly and addressed the assault victim’s mother informally and disrespectfully and only through an online journal entry (and not through any formal means, such as letters and face-to-face meetings), therefore showing their lack of knowledge on business. It’s not just about the money, but also the correct attitude. Because of their misbehavior, I can say that these kids, are well, undeserving of the money they’re getting. They are young and reckless. If they were a bit more mature/smart in dealing the situation, then they might have been more deserving. But they weren’t, so I guess they’ll have to wait until they’re in college, or well-established in the corporate world.

I know teens go through a phase and can get wild but not this wild naman. One can still have clean wholesome fun,

Cands

Apparently I know some of these FTG. and for the longest time I had been waiting for all of them to be dismissed, I was just waiting for them to do one hit on my friends to have a reason to get them all be dismissed. If in DLSU fraternities were not allowed, then I highly believe LSGH shouldn’t be also. If in my college these people were dismissed when caught then these people should also be dismissed more since they are in HS. They didn’t only try na sindakin my friend once but they also did it to two of my friends.

“since they are a so called frat, then if one falls down all of them will fall down”

Marie O.

Hey People,

I Tried to talk to one of the stoya members which is the son of my classmate back when I was in college. I asked him what was really happening to their group and how the school authorities are taking it, how they feel about whats happening and such. This boy told me that he himself, was really scared, confused and pissed. He said that he was scared cause, of course, instead of the parents trying teach these kids what should not be done, some parents are threatening to bring the cops and arrest these kids. (He said “Eh tita, did you read the blog? they’re saying na parang shit that are happening in the present just traumatize MARCEL even more. Eh how about us? They’re not considering our side. Which was in the first place, not our fault. it was not our party and they just keep on blaming stoya for everything that happened.” ) He was confused cause he really doesn’t know what to do. and pissed cause the parents are creating things that just worsens the gravity of the situation He also told me some facts that might help most parents understand the situation.

1.) Lust is a party made by Povedans

2.) Stoya made a party on the same night as Lust

3.) Marcel got beat up in Lust

4.) Stoya Boys were not in Lust (Because they had their own party to manage)

5.) TGF (also known as “THE GOOD FRAT” are not ateneans.)

6.) The Blog that was created in the multiply site of stoya was not an entry to highlight what happened to Marcel. It was a blog to tell all the stoya-party-goers that they are not going to make parties for now. (Because of the events that are happening)

Hope this helps

Cands

The good frat can be found in LSGH and POVEDA. They are mostly in 1st year and 2nd year. I know some of them and I can tell you they really try to bully people due to an experience of 3 of my friends

Marco

Most of them are upper batches, not first and second year.

michelle

In reply to #6, if it is so, then Stoya should have explicitly said in their blog post that the incident involving Marcel did not happen in their party. That would have cleared them.

This info is very helpful. I’ve quoted the open letter of Ms Noemi in my blog, but I also got some comment pointing to this direction (Item 4). I would like to know more details on this so that I can update my blog in fairness to all group concerned. If this is not to much to ask, kindly visit my blog and leave some notes me via my contact page

I would also want to know from which group did reply to Ms. Piezas (the one posted in mikalai livejournal) because this is the focal point I’ very much interested ay

anonymous

How are you people so sure this is what really happen?
Looks sugar coated to me.
I know people who went to that party, and that’s NOT what happened.
That’s TOO exaggerated.

concern citizen

Guys, whatever is each other’s arguement, the point is there’s a lot of bad..really bad things that’s happening and most probably will occur in an open party. First and foremost, for the kids (all underage), just stay away from this wild and low quality parties. Just to inform you, there’s a lot of gatherings or get together which can be more fun and a lot safer than open parties. Go out of town with your friends and have a drink or two with safe companions. Moms, I don’t intend to promote drinking for kids but hey! be realistic..Even if they know that it’s not good for them to drink or smoke, they will still try and it’s up to their minds if they will broaden it and think properly. As parents, be the guide that you have to be but do not impose because this will just lead to rebellion.

Anyway, thanks for the information, I will spread this to all my mom friends to warn their children of these low end, non sense open parties.

“…Gone are the days when fun, wholesome teen parties are held at homes. …Maybe teens still hold occasional parties in their homes but it is not hip or Ã¢â‚¬Å“inÃ¢â‚¬Â.”

–> Yes, we still hold parties at our houses, because you know, we don’t just celebrate to make money (if that’s what you’re thinking). We still hang out at each other’s houses and have fun just like you did when you were young.

“Have you heard of an Ã¢â‚¬Å“Open PartyÃ¢â‚¬Â? I have never heard of it until now through Chuavness. An open party is organized by a class from a private school and invitations are posted online. ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a money-making gimmick, for sure. Anyone can attend, provided one pays a fee. So different from our fun disco parties of the seventies. If 800 people attend and spend 300 each, do your computation. Where the heck does the money go anyway?”

–> Open parties have been going on since the early 2000’s. Yes, it is a money-making “gimmick” and invitations are posted online, by word of mouth, etc. It’s exactly like your disco parties back in the seventies, tita. Kids drink, they dance, just like what you used to do. And don’t tell me that you never did that, because my parents were probably in the same era as you and they told me that open parties are just like what you used to do, the only difference is that now there is a fee. It’s not P300, its more like P150 or more, and the money goes to different places. Sometimes, a group holds an open party to raise money for their varsity, club, prom, yearbook, whatever. Most of the time, organizers split the money they earn and they can use the money they make to buy the things they want, it’s that simple. Don’t make any assumptions by saying “where the heck does the money go anyway?”. Kids these days aren’t as bad as you make them out to be.

Fights, “bugbugan”, and stuff like this has been happening since parties have emerged, whether it be in your time or in ours. The fights back then were even worse than the fights that happen now, the only difference now is that there is more technology to spread the news about these fights. This issue has only gotten big because of this mother’s email, but it’s really a normal thing that happens and has been happening for many generations.

You know what, I don’t even want to defend my generation anymore. This mother has made us seem like party-crazed, violent, wild, sex-obsessed alcoholic high school people who don’t want anything but to party and make money. If you want to spread this lie, then do so, promote this mother’s cause. But you’re making a big mistake, our generation is more than what this mother makes us out to be.

During my time, there was no bugbugan. Maybe because it was martial law and teens knew the consequences of their behavior.

What is your generation like? please explain.

Angry High Schooler

Oh, so you never experienced any fights? Maybe cause you’re a girl. Cause I’ve heard a lot about fights between teens from Ateneo and La Salle, and because of other things, back in the seventies and all. Maybe you weren’t exposed to that, but it happened.

What’s my generation like?

My generation is trying to be independent, helping out our parents by making our own money to fend for the things we need. That’s why we do these open parties, so we can make our own money so that our parents dont have to buy us everything. Did you ever think about that? Or were you too busy judging us to look at THAT side of the story?

So what if we like to party? Have you never heard of STUDY HARD, PARTY HARD? You don’t know us. Most people who plan these open parties are responsible students, student council officers, honor students, varsity captains, etc. So don’t judge us for the things we do because we’re not the delinquents you make us out to be.

a passerby

i just saw the news yesterday on TV (abs-cbn). to: Angry High Schooler: Your words proved that you are stubborn and nonsensical. You want to help your parents by raising your own money, by what? Doing bad/prohibited drinking parties for minors? There are “decent” jobs/part time/bzness for kids like you that will not hurt or immoralize anybody.

Just wanna comment on what you said on who organize this party: student council, officers, honor students, varsity..etc… I don’t say they’re not responsible or perhaps intelligent enough to know the responsibilities to take in organizing it but they are surely/certainly NOT WISE enough to know what is right and wrong. C’mon… the parent of Marcel, really, has a point about this open party. There’s nothing wrong bout this, but what you do in this party. She’s warning parents/busy parents out there to watch out for their kids.

Do not talk about the generation of the past and the present. DOING WHAT IS RIGHT DOESN’T NEED ANY GENERATION… It should be done in your everyday life irregardless of what you said to be a generation gap.

Try to reverse the situation and it happened to YOU or to your little sister/brother…. If you do not want your parents meddling with what happened, you will handle it yourself, right? That would worsen the situation. And if your parents found it out, and they DIDN’t Do anything like Marcel’s mom, then they do not care about you… and that would reflect WHY kids like you do these….

highschoollife

Noemi.
I know we didnt live in the time of MARTIAL law but it doesnt mean we arent experiencing the same situation. Our voices arent being heard. There is slander, propaganda techniques and the lack of a venue where the other side of the story can be voiced. I know it isnt as big scale as the scope of our government and national security but this is the situation given to us and once again people who have the “authority” to make it seem that they have more power or wisdom and make the others feel inferior. Dont confine yourself to think that you’re smarter or wiser than us just because we’re younger and lack experience.

Your comment seems to say that the only way for us to know what to do is to be AFRAID of whats to happen.

I am not saying martial law needs to be implemented . You are telling me it has happened in our generation. I was raised to have parties in my home with a parent as a chaperone. I am just saying that high school parties should have some parental guidance.

As parents, I believe itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s our responsibility to protect our children from unsafe party venues. Be empowered and know what happens inside the party so safety measures can be suggested to party organizers. Parties involving high school teens need to have adult supervision from at least one responsible parent. One cannot be too lenient.

highschoolkid

So are you implying that our parents did not raise us well?
Are you implying that you raised your children better than our parents raised us?
Are you saying our parents are too lenient?

Your parents raised you the best they could but you know as the mother mentioned in her email, she relented when her son wanted to attend that Open Party. That’s why one can’t be too lenient. Parents need to know that their children are partying in a safe environment.

I know you are angry because of that incident which led to the cancellation of your parties…., but take note that your future parties can be more fun and safe if proper measures are in place. Don’t you think?

mad

We do the best we can do provide as much safety for our party-goers. We hire security, we make sure that entrance and exit is as organized as possible, and we take the necessary precautions. Planning an open party is a long process and we DO care about the welfare of our attendees. This mother makes it seem like we don’t care, though.

That still doesn’t mean that incidents aren’t bound to happen. It just sucks that this mother’s son got involved in an incident because of something he allegedly did, but that doesn’t mean it happens all the time in all parties. This mother is making it seem like what happened to her son happens in every party, and that all parties are dangerous. It really just depends on the circumstances.

You cannot make any assumptions based on ONE incident.

highschoollife

proper measures are in place in most of the better managed parties. That LUST party was under planned in the sense that those organizers lacked foresight to hire security which could have stopped it all. Stop generalizing that all the parties are the same since most of the parties have more security and more organization that those of the Seven Deadly Sinss events planners.

still, parents need to know that you all have these safety and security plans in place. And when you give assurances to parents, then Open parties will be acceptable. Just do your best to work things out.

high school student

seriously, EVERYONE, i myself by commenting here, is wasting his/her time if we spent this much time helping the poor and trying to pressure our government to eliminate poverty and corruption instead of GOSSIPING then maybe our country would be a better place and there wouldn’t even be an issue on open parties. SINCE YOU’RE ALL SO PROUD TO BE ADULTS AND MATURE. STOP SPENDING YOUR TIME SNOOPING ON OTHER PEOPLE’S BUSINESS. FINE SOME OF YOU HAVE CHIlDREN AND ARE WORRIED GO TALK TO THEM THEN!! STOP TALKING ABOUT SOME SILLY DRUNK BOY, HIS SCANDALOUS MOTHER AND THESE UNEVENTFUL PARTIES.

I know my friends raised their children well. I believe your parents did too. You need to listen to them at times like these, not your friends.

highschoolkid

My parents think that Celine Piezas is just in denial that her son did something wrong and got what he deserved (although they do not condone the violence). And they think she’s involving everyone in something that should have been kept private. Are my parents wrong? Did they not raise me well because they think that? My parents trust my friends. We’re all on the same boat. Not all friends are bad influences, you know. We’re smart people who have looked at this from both sides. Celine’s and ours. Problem is, our side is the one less heard.

I posted that STOYA blog entry to show your side. I also showed the side of Marcel Piezas’ parent. She meant it to be private til the STOYA blog entry came about. Is there any other story that you want me to share to parents?

Like I said, your parents raised you the best they could but incidents like Marcel Piezas happened, and someone had to be accountable.

PISSED OFF

STOYA’S SIDE IS NOT OUR SIDE. God you old people just love to generalize. SO close minded. How frustrating. And you say WE’RE immature.

PISSED OFF, my blog is not the venue for your complaints against Mrs. Piezas. “Close minded?” watch your mouth. Next comment you have that is off-topic goes to spam.

PISSED OFF

HAHAHAHAH you’re a joke.
Yes our parents raised us awesome and they allowed us to these parties and even allowed us to MAKE these parties.
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Stick to raising your own kids, why don’t you?

so what can you do then? How do you redeem the situation? By commenting here? Find ways to settle this. You’re responsible kids who have organized parties. I am sure you can find ways.

PISSED OFF

can’t people wrap their heads around the KNOW FACT that MARCEL PIEZAS MADE THE GIRL HIPO. PERIOD. He got what was coming for him. If he hadn’t been so horny or inappropriate than he wouldnt have gotten beaten up. PERIOD

a passerby

If he did that, then talk to him and complain to the authorities. Don’t lay your hands on somebody. Don’t put justice into your hands coz in first place, everything was wrong… That’s the only thing you could have done right!!! You didn’t do it pa… Sayang, bata!
Perhaps the girl you said was dressing for that “calling”. Di sya mababastos let’s say kung maayos sya at “somehow” decent. How can you find one in a party like that?

ME

“BEWARE OF THE OPEN PARTY”

The title of your blog entry is exactly it.

OPEN PARTIES AREN’T ALL BAD. If your kid knows what to do and what not to do, then he or she won’t get into any problems.

Marcel Piezas allegedly did something that wasn’t right and he got what others thought he deserved. Its not good that they resorted to violence, though.

My advice to parents? Let your children go to these things, its not as bad as people make it seem.

If the party organizers are responsible, they won’t let these things happen. Being an organizer myself, I’ve seen a lot of fights break out and our team does what we can do to stop them before they escalate. Too bad for Marcel that the organizers of “Lust” were not able to do that. It was THEIR fault, so don’t blame organizers everywhere for their mistake…

The Lust party is a warning to all high school parents to be vigilant.

high school student

LUST ORGANIZERS we’re POVEDANS, what do you expect? haha.

highschooool

I know! It sucks that because of their faulty security, everyone got affected.

Wilfred Sy

My dream / wish of our world is we must live as happy as we can , and never hurt somebody or someone even he is mayabang or nambastos , just let it go , wala naman mawawala sa iyo , di ba ? If you grow older and look back sasabihin mo sa sarili mo na ” Bakit ko ba nagawa yun ? ” remember Mr. Rolito Go , Mr. Teehankee etc. They also are bullies but what happen to them ? Just Never hurt somebody and if you really like beating others and sobra kang matapang then you are the right man to the military and request kang ma-assign sa giyera sa mindanao, Doon maraming bugbugan. Thanks

This is why I love public schools (except maybe the elite ones) – students have no money to spend on frivolous parties like that. Makapagsine lang kayong magkakaklase sa loob ng isang buwan, yun, party na yun. I understand the rebellious phase, as I was quite a headache back then, but I was never involved in trouble of this sort.

I think this whole thing is really stupid. I understand that the mother cares about her son, but actually it is her fault too. She was the mother, and if she just didn’t allow her son to go to the party, then nothing would happen.

Parents now should learn how to control their children and they should also know that the generation now is different. Don’t expect them to go to a open party with just juice or something.

Name edited (no cuss words allowed)

Okay, nice lights in the party. Pero yun nga, wala naman silang drinks ah? andun ako sa party na yun. NOT ALL PARTIES HAVE DRINKS! 🙂 hey owner of this blog, don’t delete this ah. be fair 😀 and and You have proofs that drinks are served in ALL OPEN PARTIES? investigate more. Or just organize an open party for parents ONLY :)) enjoy!

A High School Student

As a high school student, I would like to share my opinion.

I can’t say that I frequently go to open parties but I’ve been to enough to know what really happens in open parties.

Sure, we dance, we drink and we fool around but that’s our generation. Just to let you know, only a minority actually get too ahead of themselves and have sex in those dark places and steal the alcohol inside. An even smaller minority gets into fights. Out of all the parties I’ve been to, say around 10, I have never seen a fight happen first hand. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right place but then based on my knowledge, in all my years in high school fights were only provoked.

We know the consequences of our actions and usually the ones who end up piss drunk are the freshmen who have just been exposed to this kind of environment. Please don’t generalize all high school students of public schools to be bad examples or teenagers who don’t know their morals. We do know what we’re doing and we know how to handle ourselves. We study in Private Catholic Schools after all.

We know it’s illegal to drink alcohol at this age but our parents allow us to drink alcohol at house parties, what makes open parties so different? There are parents there too anyway and if ever someone gets too drunk, there’s always going to be a friend to help him/her out.

I know that your advocacy of stronger security on open parties, if not banning open parties is reasonable but you also have to think of the cons. It’s possible for it to move to house parties which in my opinion are a hundred times worse than parties that happen in venues. In houses, you have bedrooms, guest bathrooms and other secluded areas where you can turn off the lights and lock the doors behind you.

You can’t just underestimate my generation. There’s a lot of anger right now amongst us towards a lifestyle we’ve been living in for more than 10 years already and you’re taking it away from us so abruptly especially when the party season is at its peak. Even if you are parents, don’t expect us to take this so lightly. We’re the ones who are going to change the world.

(Oh, and that video from that open party shown on the news looked pretty lame. What happened to all the people? There have been more amazing parties than those. Haha!)

K

First of all, get your facts right. Lust is not a stoya party. It was a lame party, with substantial security (evidently), that had nothing to do with stoya at all. It’s unfair for Celine Piezas to target stoya for what happened to her son.

Then let’s not forget, as stated by a previous comment, the boy had it coming. You speak about respecting one’s parents and their words, but has respecting those around you, they be strangers or not, ever crossed your mind? Hinipo niya ‘yung babae. Do you think guys could get away with it so easily, even in your generation?

Finally, i agree with what one of the comments said. Stuff like these, lalo na in highschool are simply there to stay. Generation after generation, high school is still highschool, with minor changes as the time passes. We’re underaged, but we still drink. We’re young but we makeout. We simply want to have fun but we do stupid things. The girls giggle about crushes and the boys simply rough around a lot. One just has to accept it. High school life has changed but it IS still high school life after all.

Who knows? One of these days, magkakaroon ng bagong party na naman na sobrang intriga that even Marcel Piezas can’t resist but tumakas rin para lang magsaya for one night.

teenager

Why do you have to take this in general?
not all open-party goers do drugs and drink or even bring condoms.
Why are you comparing our generation to your generation?
things progress, things change. standards can’t be the same forever.

zzyx

Look, I live in Green Meadows, I was a povedan, I used to attend these parties and got over it as soon as I stepped into 1st year college. Yang “open party” hype na yan, mawawala din. Believe me.

1) Apparently, this party was organized by THIRD year HS Povedans. not 1st yr or 2nd yr girls who are allegedly part of THE GOOD FRAT.

2) There were NO CONDOMS and or DRUGS. They drank though. Dun sila mali, but then again, who didnt? You see whn your kids turn 18, theyre usually legal to do everything theyve been doing since they were…i dunno…11? kaso magsasawa sila kasi legal na e, gusto lang nila yan kasi pinagbabawal..

3) MARCEL did touch the girl. Thats why he GOT it. See, if MARCEL pursued his malicious ways and people didnt do anything about it then we wouldnt be talking about “bugbugans” we’d be tlaking about “Parents vs. Open Parties because of a molested teen” Hitting MARCEL shouldnt have been the way to go, but they did defend the girl he disrespected. I guess he wasnt man enough to admit to his mom that he did touch the girl, kasi natatakot na mapagalitan. Atenean brother ko, naturally mapride at ma-ere ang mga yan. kaya di makaamin. (again, I base it on facts, may kapatid ako. di ako nangiinsulto ng mga atenista, they know na ganun sila.)

6) When we (povedans) hold parties, at least when i was in HS and when my sister held her party, WE MADE YOUR KIDS (our friends) CLEAN UP. Tipsy man o hindi, nagpupulot mga yan. Tingin niyo kasi party lang ang alam nila gawin pero if they do party, they also clean up.

I also think that what Celine Piezas did only got people more enraged. Kawawa lalo anak niyan sa mga makakakilala dun. Ive been thru HS and when parents complain about small things, anak nila nagsusuffer. Kesyo Loser, feeling, mayaang kasi di lang maamin…or worse, pakielamerang mom and mababansag sa kanya. Lalong traumatic yun for Marcel diba? But I dont blame her either…yun nga lang she should get her facts straight. as of the ALLEGED condoms found in parking lots…Assumption party yun. We can vouch for that kasi take note, sa GM kami nakatira.

Assumptionista

Don’t just say that the condoms were at our party. At EVERY party you find condoms. Just because you’re a Povedan doesn’t mean you need to point out specifically that it’s an Assumption Party where the condoms are. There were condoms at Lust, Asylum and all the other parties before that. The parties years and years ago even, there were even more fights, hard drinks and condoms around.

secret

I didn’t see any condoms at Asylum. It was the cleanest party ever. They didn’t even serve alcohol :|. To the Povedan and Assumptionista, do not find. You should help out each other instead so that this issue will be resolved as soon as possible.

assumptionista

Is this what the adults want?!?! that we start pointing fingers at each other and begin blaming everyone with what has happened? i’ve been to many parties oraganized by different schools and i know that they all try their best to organize it well and CLEAN UP. Ang isyu naman kasi dito ay kung hinipuan ba ni marcel yung babae o hinde. sana naman pati yung side nung babae pinakinggan natin. could the adults please try to see our side and understand stop generalizing us, its really hurting us and willeven push the chidlren to rebel. instead of asking permission if they could go to parties, they will opt to lie and tell their parents their going to a group study or the mall. which of the two choices would your ather have?

whocares

It’s so sad how people really DO generalize.

So what if POVEDANS made the party? So what if an ATENEAN was the one who got beat up? So what? All the other schools supported it and they went and had fun. So what naman? Tapos magmumukha na silang masasamang tao? Tuloy, nadadamay ang ibang mga estudyante ng paaralan dahil lang doon. Parents tend to blame EVERYTHING that’s happened around their kid when they know their child has even partially contributed to the crime, gusto lang nila pagandahin ang storya.

The people who got involved with the violence should be the only ones concerned in this matter because so what if they had a party? So what?

Parents are mad because they did the wrong thing of letting their kids go to these open parties. They’re just ashamed of their kids actions that’s why they try to defend them and turn the story around!

And isa pa, please don’t blame our generation because it’s not our fault people around us are influential. It’s not our fault that we’ve evolved socially. Our attention span wasn’t as long as people in older generations because you guys had no choice. We do. And we chose to use our time to have fun.

The older people are saying that we don’t know what we’re talking about. Oh, we do. You might not even know what’s happening in our lives right now. Most parents don’t even take time to listen to their kids.

People are different from each other. Some kids would rather stay at home and some kids would rather party. But when the time comes that the kids who would rather stay at home wants to party, it’s gone because AS USUAL, parents are going to but in and ruin every single thing that isn’t boring in the world.

It is a pity that you forget that we, parents, were also teen-agers like you. Surely we know how you all feel and what you are going through because we have been through all that or whatever. We are aware of the impetuousness and imprudence of the young. Remember we were once young too. We know what it was like to hide the truth from our parents in our eagerness to be “in,” hip, cool or whatever the term you use now. When one is young one has a tendency to omit details that are unsavory or negative from our parents. Thus our need to protect you, our children, from any inadvertent harm you might encounter. As parents our mission in life is to bring you up to be the best Christian citizens and adults. When you are self-sufficient and done with your education then and only then can your parents rest from our parental duties and heave a big sigh of relief that you are no longer our responsibility.

Even if and when you reach the so-called legal age of 18, be clear that you are still non-entities until you are self supporting and are tax payers. Therefore you have no authority to transact with any establishment without an adult signing as representative for your activities or parties. If and when contractual or monetary transactions are done by you without Parental Supervision with an establishment you must be aware that it is ILLEGAL. And any individual may and can call on the authorities to investigate your transactions and activities.

When Mrs. Piezas mentioned the BIR it is because she is aware that contractual or monetary transactions need to be done in an official manner. When you show surprise why the government has to be brought into the picture, you further underscore your callowness.
My dear children remember you still have a lot of growing up to do. As students, your education is your first priority. You may celebrate without restraint when you have your degree and diplomas in your hand.

clara

To Mrs. Piezas:

I feel really bad for Marcel. He’s infamous.
People who don’t know him hate him.
With all due respect, you ruined your son’s life for now.
I must say though that I pity him. Not because he got beaten up, but because what he did (or what you did for him) was social suicide.
Please stop being such a prude for everyone’s sake.
I’m sure you’re happy now that parties are dwindling, but that is very selfish of you. Selfish of you because of what you did to your son, and to us teenagers.
Everything is your fault. Just because your dad was ever-so-lovingly uptight doesn’t mean you have to convince our parents to make us grow up like you. The damage has been done, and now Marcel deserves a monument. He’s the butt of our jokes. I don’t want to be offensive. I’m just stating facts.

Parents,
You’re all talking about how you know how we feel and all that, but judging from my parentsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ era, you guys were hippies. I know Marijuana was extremely common when you were teenagers–not all of you smoked up, but you were allowed to go out. Shouldn’t you trust us as your parents trusted you? You didn’t end up so bad, right?
Unless of course you were a teenager in the time of Marcos and martial law was implemented and you really didn’t have a choice. That would have sucked for you.
Parents will always see the ills of their teenager kids’ generations. That’s how it is, but be more objective and think like a teenager that can be trusted (this is if you actually trust your kid). If you say you never know what your child might do when he/she’s with peers, then you are probably insecure about how you’ve raised your child, or believe you’ve raised a wimp (one who cannot take his stand), or believe your kid is constantly dependent on the people around him to make decisions for him. Take your pick.

whatever

I honestly think this is pure stupidity and ignorance. The way you parents are acting upon this. Our generation is not rebellious, nor is it wild. This is high school. I go to open parties, and I do not take drugs. Think about it, if teenagers want to do drugs or have sex, they can do it anywhere and not only in open parties. They can say they’re going to to their friend’s house and do it there. But if a teen, chooses not to have sex or do drugs, and still goes to open parties; thus, you cannot blame anyone but the teen’s moral issues. Open parties are not a dangerous thing to go to, nor is it what encourages teens to do bad things. I’ve been to numerous open parties, and I have not seen anyone do drugs. They don’t go around telling people “hey guys! I have some weed, let’s smoke it up.” No they don’t. And so what, if they serve alcohol? Like you parents haven’t had a sip of beer when you were in high school?Don’t be hypocrites. Probably out of 100 people only 3 get wasted. And those people chose to get wasted, so it really depends on choice.

yousuck

what the hell are you adults doing? don’t you have better things to do? instead of wasting your time here, why don’t you try to solve our country’s problems? the world has bigger problems than this one.

Could you tell us what are the names of Ms. A, Ms. B and the TGF members?

Mary

Been there, done that.
now its this generation’s turn.
However i cant help notice, pabata na ng pabata. Usually sa college ang maraming inuman. ngayon even highschool? Just an observation.
“So what?” you might say.

I am a parent with an eldest of 7. In a few years my boys hormones will be more active. He will explore. Just like when he was two, he will see how far he can push and learn about himself, about life.
Ive been there, i know what temptations will come. We are after all, living in a fallen world, with fallen nature as man.

God obviously gave us the instinct to be protective of our offsprings. However, his love is too much that he knows he cannot be loving if he is controlling. We make our choices, to obey or disobey.

RULES ARE MADE TO PROTECT.
GOD MADE THE 10 COMMAnDMEnTS TO PROTECT, nOT TO RESTRAIn.

Parents would understand where i am coming from. We cannot bear to see our offsprings hurt. But we know somehow to love is to respect the right to choose.

now, when we do give you the freedom to choose, and somehow later on you realize you made the wrong choice, maybe you will learn from your mistakes. tama pala si mama.

kaso, what if the consequence of your wrong choices was a pretty bad one. Lets say you were caught with marijuana or even ‘bagansya’ (past curfew). Or you were caught cheating in school or fighting a schoolmate and face expulsion?
Then you need an adult to face the cops or the school authorities.
Sino ang tutulong sa iyo to help you carry your problem?
Syempre kaming parents! After all, you are our flesh and blood.
Wag mong sabihin kaya mong harapin iyon magisa.
Do you already have the skills to negotiate and win with experienced adults on your own when youre in deep trouble?
Baka mangatog ka sa takot.
Kung malakas loob mo, and you do not heed your parent’s warnings, all i can say is ‘good luck’. baka maloko ka lang at mabiktima ng mga corrupt authorities. Kung kami ngang adults we battle with these ‘pasaway’ adults (who act like their shoe size instead of their age) on a daily basis, what more kayo?

So please my dear youth, in the end you will still run to us for help. And we do wish to help you with open arms. Yun lang, isipin nyo rin ang hirap na aakuin namin sa inyo, aside from the daily stress toiling for work to send you to a good school. Unless of course matigas talaga kayo, and the parents have had enough so they might let you go thru the painful consequences of your own wrong choices.

Remember, you have a choice to do the right – and avoid the wrong. mrs Piezas has her right to share her painful experience to us, and it was rightful that she did, to avoid anymore bad incidents like that. ITS A LESSOn FOR ALL.
maybe it would even teach a lesson to party organizers to be much more careful and vigilant in the future.
maybe it would help our catholic schools evaluate if their christian teachings are effective or not based on the interests and behaviors of students.
maybe it would help us parents realize how much we need to give more quality time to our children and fill their need for sense of belongingness. or maybe provide more fun activities they would love para hindi sila sa parties focused lang. like voice or dance lessons, learning to play musical instruments, taking up ice hockey etc

just mho. thanks for letting me share. love to all 😀

lasalista

this high school kid posters here, tumatanda ng paurong.

they think they know everything.

bottomline:

did that kid get mauled in an open party?

yes or no.

kung nanghipo siya, nanghipo siya. but does it take 5, 10, 20 other boys to mug him and get the point through?

there are consequences for touching an unwilling girl, and that boy might have already gotten his due.

there are also consequences for beating another person bloody? are these cowards willing to accept their due?

and lastly, there are consequences for serving alcohol to minors, yes it’s a normal thing, but that does not make it legal. are these loudmouths here willing to accept their due?

you young kids should learn that the sooner you stop believing you know everything to stand in argument with a group of adults, the sooner you will learn about your responsibilities and the consequences of not being able to adhere to them.

wisecracks.

ERIC VON HEIM

wow! these kids think they know everything. they think they have an idea about parenting and raising kids. tsk tsk tsk. kawawa naman kayo when you become one.

believe me, you don’t know a single god dammed thing in the REAL WORLD yet. you live in a world where you think what’s ‘in’ is ‘cool’ and ‘right’. you’ll soon learn how to respect parental advice when you become one.

student

SAVE OPEN PARTIES! MY POINT OF VIEW, GO AHEAD AND OBJECT PO.

WOW PARENTS THANKS FOR GENERALIZING THE PRIVATE SCHOOLED YOUTH AS IMMORAL, WE`LL REMEMBER THAT ONCE WE OWN COMPANIES AND CHANGE THE WORLD IN THE FUTURE. JUST TO LET YOU ALL OLDIES NOW, WE PARTY TO RELIEVE STRESS WE RECEIVE FROM SCHOOL, PARENTS(NOT ALL OF US LIVE IN A HAPPILY EVER AFTER SHOW), LIFE. I AGREE WHAT TGF DID WAS STUPID. I MEAN I KNOW THEY ALWAYS BEAT UP SOME KID BUT IN OTHER PARTIES, WE HAVE RELIABLE SECURITY/BOUNCER/BODYGUARD WE HIRE TO ENSURE SAFETY AND PREVENT THEM FROM CONTINUING TO BEAT THEM UP. WE PROVOKE PEOPLE WHO START A FIGHT CAUSE THEYRE THE ONES WHO RUIN THE PARTY. AND WHEN I SAY PARTY I DONT MEAN SEX DRUGS. WOW NAMAN, NOT ALL OF US ARE THAT STUPID. I GO TO PARTIES TO HAVE FUN AND MAYBE DRINK A LITTLE BUT MY PARENTS KNOW THAT AND THEY TRUST ME. I KNOW WHEN TO STOP AND HOW TO BEHAVE. I GUESS BY BANNING OPEN PARTIES, YOUR OPENING ANOTHER WAY FOR TEENAGERS TO FIND SOMETHING ELSE. GOODJOB. AND PLEASE BEFORE YOU GUYS ANALYZE US, DONT TELL ME YOU OLDINGS HAVE NEVER DONE ANYTHING ILLEGAL IN YOUR WHOLE LIFE. WERE NOT PERFECT AND I KNOW WE’LL ALL OUTGROW THIS, ITS A PHASE DEAL WITH IT. SIGE,IPAKULONG NIYO LAHAT NG KABATAAN UMIINOM, LIKE 90% OF THE HIGHSCHOOLERS IN THE PHILIPPINES TAPOS DALHIN NIYO KAMI SA MINDANAO DOON KAMI MAGPAPARTY. WOW NALANG, EXAGGE NIYO. MORE PARENTAL GUIDANCE? HM WHAT ABOUT A LOT OF US WHO GO TO OPEN PARTIES, HAVE PARENTS WHO KNOW ABOUT THIS AND TRUST US BUT WERE STILL GETTING GOOD GRADES, GOING INTO CHURCH, GETTING INTO GOOD COLLEGES. My mom knows i drink, she says dont drink too much its bad for you, so i dont. I KNOW ONCE I BECOME A PARENT ILL TRUST MY CHILDREN AND WITH THEIR MISTAKES THEYLL LEARN AND BECOME SMARTER. IM NOT GONNA SHELTER AND PROTECT THEM FROM MORE EVILS IN THE WORLD BY BROADCASTING A LETTER TO HUMILIATE MY SON. I FEEL BAD FOR MARCEL BECAUSE HIS NAME SHOULDNT EVEN BE PART OF THESE BLOGS AND STUFF. THEY SHOULD RESPECT HIS PRIVACY. HE’S MY FRIEND. I CAN TELL YOU THIS NOW, HES NOT EVER GONNA LIVE A NORMAL HIGHSCHOOL LIFE.

sorry for the all caps, i got carried away.

no name

I actually did think that this issue was already over until I saw the news on ABS-CBN two days ago.

We’ve forgotten about this already and yet you guys bring it up again. As a high school student, I do go to open parties but must I say that I am really sure that people do not have sex in these parties. That is one of the most stupidest things anyone could do in a party. Yes, there were condoms around during that party stated in the first paragraph but how sure were all of you that was used for those reasons? Were there tests for it? I highly doubt that. People go to open parties to have a break from all the stress in our High school life and what we do is we just dance. Yes, there maybe alcohol served but it is our choice and responsibility and we know that. Our schools and parents teach us how to take care of ourselves, you know. It’s all just trust and understanding. I don’t think Marcel really understood the situation. The girl would not have told her cousin if there was really nothing wrong.

As for that TGF group, blame them. Don’t put everyone else on the blame.

Oh and another point, how sure were they that AC held that party? Why don’t you check the clubhouse and see for yourselves that the reservation was not an Assumption student.

High school will always be high school no matter what generation. The more you stop us, it makes us wonder and rebel. I pity Marcel because people who don’t even know him already hate him. His social life’s ruined, really. His mom just went over the top..

I say don’t ban open parties. My parents allow me to go there with full responsibility of myself. It’s just a matter of acceptance of the parents. We, high school students just want a break from all the works we’re given.

Assumptionist

I was actually an organizer of that party mentioned in the first paragraph.

I have a question. Before saying that was an Assumption party, did anyone ever care to check the clubhouse and see the reservations for his/herself? Because from what I know, that was not an Assumption student nor was she even a girl.

Second; condoms? Well, all open parties always have condoms on the floor at the end. We do clean it up, after. It’s our responsibility, we rented that place, we must take care of it and clean it. Our school’s taught us well 😉

We go to these parties to have fun and have a break from all the stress our school gives us. It’s not because we want to be “cool” or “in”. Please, that’s not the case. We just want a break, period. As for the drinks? Yeah, we drink, but please know that we have limits. We know where we stand and we bring with us our parents trust in the party. We make sure they know what is happening. As for those who lie to their parents about these parties, their loss not ours. And the spooning? It’s not really called spooning. In dancing, there is touching. I’m not saying the bad-touch-touch but you get me? We know our limits as teenagers. We are raised well by our parents and schools. We have values especially coming from good schools. So please, stop blaming our schools. This issue is actually a give and take situation. And we all have our flaws and mistakes.

We’ll never really know the true story behind this Lust incident. May I say though that me and my friends went to Lust. It was an okay-party. Not much people, actually. I remember seeing parents inside the clubhouse and bouncers, too. Sad, they did not stop the fight.

I think that you parents should not ban open parties. Please, don’t. 🙂 I speak for practically everyone. Allow us to enjoy with limits, at least. We know our safety precautions when we enter this kind of lives. I really don’t want to end High school as the one of the batches that had no open parties because of one incident that everything was just based on one side of the story.

And lastly, I know that these open parties have been going on for years, already. Even when my brother was still in High School, these already occured. I also know that fights happen in these parties and why only know? After Marcel’s case. They should’ve stopped open parties from the very beginning then.

Anyways, just know that we hope for the best [not to ban open parties hahaha. :)]

Godspeed. :))

lasalista

What’s with these teens?

Relieve the pressure?

Pressure from what? From being rich?

Don’t they know that a lot of kids their age don’t even have access to education, even proper food? And here they are whining about possibly not being allowed to party?

Are we breeding a generation of whiners? Of insensitive and irresponsible human beings?

We know you have issues. But the question is, are your issues really issues when set into the grander scheme of things?

Student

Its people like you that scrutinize us just because were viewed as rich. We maybe rich but were not freaking perfect. We come from catholic schools so we contribute to the poor, gawad kalinga and so much more. 75% of our fair funds which we all proudly work hard on goes to our sister schools and charity. So dont call us insensitive. We were raised well but not perfect unlike you, sorry Mr. Lasalista. Were whining because banning open parties wont solve anything, the damage has been done, instead of prohibiting us from learning from our mistakes your making us “hide” and act like nothing happened when instead we can learn our lesson to be more responsible in these parties. Jeez, your not even a high school student nor a parent, Im seriously ticked off on how people who arent even affected voices their concerns when they dont know what the heck is in the story except for what the media portrays or one letter from ONE side of the party. Get ALL your facts straight first, your making us sound like were freaking immoral. Instead of bashing us, why dont you bash TGF, i mean right now, theyre not really looking like “heroes” to us.

Badgirlgonewilder

What the hell? It’s so not about the place. It’s about the people who go there! I feel for the boy who had gotten beaten up, but are we all sure that the fight could have just gotten down on the open party, or could it have been in another place as well? Actually, it could’ve happened anywhere. But it was just a coincidence that it happened in that open party. Things like that happen almost everyday. Coming from a Catholic School, that also organizes open parties, we admit that there are certain dangers in the open party but maybe the guy who got beaten up really provoked the group of boys. We would never know what really happened. Only that this unfortunate incident got so much attention from the media and that they are taking it out on parties which has been happening for decades now. What makes you think that house parties with free-flowing drinks differ from open parties with sober clubs or toxic towers, etc? It’s both with booze anyway. And really it’s the parent’s job to be responsible for the welfare of their children if they know that there are some dangers involved, why risk it given that they were very well informed of the stuff that’s been going on around open parties. I suggest that given the recent incident, there should be prior precautions that need to be taken maybe more official chaperones, etc. but given this incident I hope that open parties won’t get a reputation as being a place for “bugbugan” and stuff like that. We know it happens at times, but it’s not just really about that. Some open parties benefit from the money and use it as a good cause anyway. Why was the only “bad side” of open parties blown up by the media? Some create open parties to benefit for a good cause so it’s not entirely bad per say. It’s up to the attendees to take responsibility of themselves and avoid mishaps so it’s not the fault of organizers who tried to give people a good time. All I can say is enjoy life and try not to ruin other’s reputation. We’re just a bunch of kids trying to have the time of our lives and enjoy our youths a little longer. It’s a part of our lives. Our own law and rules. Don’t be a hypocrite- stand up for what you believe in. More so don’t take it out on us.

Badgirlgonewilder

It’s not about the place, it’s about the people who go there. PLEASE, partying is so normal. Check GG. Not that we got it from them. All I’m saying is that it’s so normal. Please, don’t take it away from us. SWEAR. It’s a part of our lives. I didn’t mean “part” as a phase, but as something we need or atleast, crave. We all have our reasons- and mostly because we want to have fun. We love it as a little boy loves ice cake- or maybe something more. And honestly, I can’t live without it. Life would suck bigtime. So please, cut us some slack, okay? And again, it’s not about the place, it’s about the people who go there. It’s a party. Things happen. If you want to go, deal with the consequences. Be cautious or something. Never be naive. You should know what you do. Or what to do. If you have a problem with it, then don’t go. I mean seriously, whatever happens happens. Things happen for a reason, right? Take it as a lesson learned. but don’t take it out on us. Don’t take it away from us. PLEASE. It’s gonna be so hard, like chemistry hard. NO, HARDER. It would be like living in an unsophisticated world. So boring. Blame the people who should be blamed. Don’t blame it ALL on us. It’s like we’re suffering from someone else’s mistakes. Fights are normal, you know. They don’t just happen in places like these. We’re just a bunch of kids trying to make the most out of our youth. Cherishing every moment (or night) of it. DO NOT BAN. Yeah, I feel sorry for the guy, but that’s what you get when you sort of molest a girl. I don’t know…did you grind her or something? Maybe that’s what made her think you molested her. Or maybe you did something close to that. I mean what, she like, made that up or something? Maybe you did something that made her think you did something else. Think about it. YOU CAN WARN US. IF WE DON’T LISTEN AND SOMETHING HAPPENS TO US, THEN WE’D REGRET IT. LET US EXPERIENCE IT OURSELVES IF WE DON’T WANT TO LISTEN. If you ban it, we’ll still be doing it, anyway. We have homes, you know. If our parents don’t allow us, then either we can’t go or we’d lie and make something up just to be there. “Takas”, as everyone calls it. We can’t help it, we’re teenagers. We tend to do what we want. Well, not everytime, though. Some know their limits, others don’t. If we don’t listen, it’s our loss. You warned us, anyway, right? DON’T BAN IT, for crying out loud!

simplygood:p

may i say that im somewhat siding with you..
the show must go on even though there are people in danger.. that is just plain bullshit.
its a good thing that i dont go to such parties.. =))
goodluck with your protest..

SinceWhen

CAN WE PLEASE JUST END THIS STORY ALREADY. We dont really care anymore. BAN THEM, jeez even if you dont we’d know freaking old pedophiles would lurk in our parties to catch a video and post em up online or something. Im sure were gonna find another way to have our fun anyways. Dont blame us if we start doing houseparties, THAT IS GOING TO BE WAY FREAKING WORSE, but what the heck right, were young.

The problem is that minors alone are the ones organizing these parties. The parties are obviously unsupervised by responsible parents or adults. They serve alcohol which is illegal and something no sensible, responsible parent would consider for his/her unsupervised child. These parties run the risk of being venues for sex and drugs and yes violence. I’m certain the organizers and party goers will deny this, of course. One only wonders if the organizers are even fully aware what takes place when the party is in full swing. In their verve to provide a great party experience for teenagers free from restrictions of adults, the organizers seemed to have given up on certain precautions to ensure the wellbeing of their guests. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day we’ll hear reports that someone got drugged and raped in these parties. And being that they are minors, the organizers can simply deny responsibility when something goes wrong and use the same reason for which adults find these parties unacceptable — kasi they are minors, just teenagers who aren’t even out of high school. So as organizers, you can’t hold them accountable. You’ll just have to deal with their parents and guardians. And the poor partygoers who suffer any harm in these parties will end up being blamed for their lack of good sense or poor judgement for drinking at such a party, exactly the qualities expected in a person of that vulnerable age and the basis for the ban of alcoholic drinks for minors.

If anything good came out of the uproar over the mauling incident of the Piezas boy, it is that adults are made aware of what is going on in these open parties. With the accounts of underage drinking, molestations and violence, this is a cause of concern for parents. Despite the protestions of these teenagers, adults still have the duty to watch over them especially at an age when they become headstrong or prone to rash decisions. Underage drinking is not new, but neither is parental control and supervision. Parents then as now have the responsibility to monitor their children’s activities. While teenagers should be allowed to enjoy their youth, parents should step when they are exposed to vices or activities that may bring them harm.

And since these parties are already moneymaking ventures, it is also something the authorities should look into and not just because of the matter of taxation. There are other legal implications. If commercial entities are knowingly selling alcoholic drinks to minors (and it appears that they are), they should be made to face legal sanctions. Same thing goes for owners of the venues who are no less accountable for allowing underage drinking in their premises and any physical harm that should visit these minors arising out of such drinking.

16yrold

Actually, a group from my school (yes, Catholic and private) organizes open parties, and their parents take care of things such as the venue and other stuff for the party. When stuff came up at school about how the members acted (at parties [all the drinking and sex, although these don’t necessarily happen at all parties], taking half-naked pictures of themselves, etc.), the parents went and talked the school into keeping their daughters in. In other words, kinokonsinte nila, and they don’t let them be responsible for their own actions. The parents fix it all, and the teens don’t learn and just repeat their mistakes.

Personally though, I agree with a lot of posts here that it’s up to the kid. I drink a lot and get shitasswasted. BUT I’m an honor student, extra active in my extra and co-curricular activities and the outreach programs, and I got into all the colleges I applied to (including UP and ADMU). And yes, I also agree that I party to relieve stress. Most adults think that a teenager’s life is easy, but this (being teenagers) is our life right now. We deal with schoolwork, extra/co-curriculars, relationship problems, familial problems (parents fighting, etc.), our hormones and of course, for the seniors, college applications (remember when you had to choose how your future would turn out?). We just like have to fun sometimes. 🙂